Resilient closure having retaining means



March 10, 1970 G. YATES, JR 3,

RESILIENT CLOSURE HAVING RETAINING MEANS Filed D89. 5, 1968 6 YQTES J2,

United States Patent 3,499,574 RESILIENT CLOSURE HAVING RETAINING MEANSGeorge Yates, Jr., Glendale, Calif., assignor to Bennett Industries,Inc., Peotone, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 5, 1968, Ser.No. 781,556 Int. Cl. B65d 43/10 US. Cl. 220-60 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A plastic closure assembly adapted for application to an openhead container body comprises two flanges forming an inverted U-shapedchannel provided with interlocking means adapted to engage the open endof the container body. The outer flange of the closure is slotted toprovide tabs which may be sprung outwardly in order to disengage theclosure from the container body. A retaining member is provided tonormally maintain the closure in engagement with the container body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to the container arts and particularly to a reusable plasticclosure suitable for use with plastic and metal containers.

Description of the prior art Although there has been considerableinterest in the adaptation of plastic to containers and particularlyshipping containers, the substitution of plastic for metal in themanufacture of such objects has encountered an appreciable number ofproblems. Certain plastics are soft and pliable, and, when containersare made of such material, it is diflicult to provide a closure whichwill remain in sealed-tight engagement with the container when it issubjected to rough handling. On the other hand, buckets made of morerigid plastics tend to be fragile and easy to break under suchcircumstances.

It has been proposed that closures for such containers be reinforcedwith metal in order to provide the required degree of stiffness and amore permanent seal, as evidenced by applicants co-pending United StatesPatent application Ser. No. 598,471, filed Dec. 1, 1966, now patent No.3,425,471.

More recently, a one-piece molded plastic lid has been suggestedfeaturing a depressed center section and a peripheral inverted U-shapedchannel, with a detent lug formed on the inner side of the outer leg ofthe U-shaped channel, the said lug being adapted to lockingly engage abead formed adjacent the open end of the container body. Although suchsystems have been known for many years (see, e.g., United States PatentsNos. 2,339,343 and 2,977,019), the more recent efforts to use such knowndesign technology in a plastic container system have encountered muchdifficulty. Although such an arrangement does provide a relativelysecure seal (one of the objectives that must be achieved), by virtue ofthe design of the system and of the materials from which the closure isfabricated, removal of the sealed closure from the container body hasbeen achieved only with great difliculty, generally involving mutilationof the closure to such a degree that it cannot be reused. Further,because of the depressed center section of the closure, the spacebetween the closure and the contents is insuflicient, possibly resultingin an explosion when the contents are heated or otherwise expand.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to ice provide a newand improved container closure of plastic material that can be readilyapplied by hand and can be removed with equal ease by hand and withoutthe use of tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedcontainer closure which can be removed easily by hand and wherein, whenreapplied to reseal the container, the reappl-ication of the closure tothe container is performed in the same manner as the initialapplication.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedresealable container assembly wherein the sealed connection between theclosure and the open end of the container consists of a multiple numberof associated parts which reinforce each other and provide a high degreeof stiflness at the open end of the container suflicient to withstandthe usual rough handling to which shipping containers are subjected.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedresealable container assembly which is relatively simple in form andconstruction such that both the container and closure can be readilymolded by conventional methods and wherein the number of partscomprising the seal is confined to substantially a minimum.

Yet another object is to provide a plastic container closure suitablefor use on metal as well as plastic container bodies.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a new andimproved resealable container assembly which is not only simple inconstruction, but also one which is inexpensive to manufacture and quickto apply whether made in small, medium, or large sizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing and other objects, advantages,and features of the present invention may be achieved with a plasticclosure adapted for removable placement over the open end of an open endcontainer body having a side wall structure, the said closure comprisinga center section; an inverted U-shaped channel defined by an innerflange, an outer flange, and an integral top section interconnecting theinner and outer flanges, the inner flange being integrally joined to thecenter section; the lower portion of the outer flange taking the form ofa plurality of flexible tabs; interlocking means formed on the interiorof the tabs and adapted to lockingly mate with the side wall structureof the container body, the tabs being normally positioned such that theinterlocking means engage the container body, with the tabs beingoutwardly movable from their normal positions so as to disengage thecontainer body, and retaining means for normally retaining the tabs intheir normal positions, whereby the closure may be maintained inengagement with the container body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of theassembly consisting of the container body and the closure therefor withthe closure applied;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 22of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of theparts shown in FIGURE 2 but separated one from another;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view similar to FIGURE2, but showing the position of parts as the closure approaches finalengagement with the container; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form ofthe invention.

3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference tothe drawings, a container body and a closure 11 are illustrated. Thecontainer is a type of vessel commonly referred to as a bucket or pailand is used for an assortment of contents. Container body 10 ispreferably constructed of plastic material such as high densitypolyethylene, but other plastics and metals may be employed. Inasmuch asthe plastic material is relatively inert, the container body is onecapable of being utilized for a wide assortment of both liquid andpowdered material. The closure 11 is preferably formed of plasticmaterial and, although disclosed as a closure usable with a containerbody of the same material, the closure is capable of also being used ona container body constructed of metal.

The container body 10 comprises a side wall structure 12 which in thepresent instance is cylindrical but which under appropriatecircumstances may be square, rectangular, or other cross-sectionalshape.

At the open end of the container body there is provided a rounded bead13 which extends preferably in an outward direction at the uppermostedge as viewed in FIGURE 2. Although a solid bead 13 is shown as apreferable construction when the container is formed of plastic, thehead could be a rolled bead should the container be one constructed ofmetal.

The closure member used with the present invention is preferably formedfrom a suitable semi-rigid plastic having strength sufficient towithstand the abuses to which a shipping container is subjected innormal use. Linear, high-density polyethylene-copolymer is an especiallysuitable plastic material, although other plastics of the polyolefin orpetrochemical family may be employed. An especially preferred plastic ispolyethylene having a density ranging between 0.941 and 0.965 grams percubic centimeter (ASTM test Dl50563T) and a melt index ranging between0.1 and 25.0 (ASTM test D123862T). Where the latter preferredpolyethylene is employed in producing an injection-molded closure, themelt index preferably lies between 4.0 and 25.0. Of course, as will beobvious to those skilled in the art, the closure member may beconstructed or fabricated from various other suitable materials and by avariety of manufacturing processes such as injection molding.

An inverted U-shaped channel 23 is provided about the periphery ofclosure 11. The U-shaped channel 23 is formed in part by a peripherallycontinuous and relatively fiat inner flange 15, a lower portion 16 ofwhich lies in contact with an inside surface of the side wall structure12 of the container body when the closure 11 is positioned thereon. Anupper portion 17 of flange includes an angular portion 18 into whichextends a groove 19 for the purpose of keeping all portions as near aspossible of the same thickness for ease, accuracy, and dependability ofmolding. A disc-shaped section 20 extends around the interior peripheryof the inner flange 15 intermediate axially outer and inner ends of theflange. For additional strength there are provided a series ofperipherally spaced gusset plates 21 which extend between the insidesurface of the lower portion 16 and the under surface of the section 20.

The outer boundary of the U-shaped channel is formed by a relativelyflat outer flange 22 extending substantially parallel to but spacedapart from the inner flange 15 and of comparable length. The channel 23extends upwardly and terminates in an apex 24 separated from the otherportion of the channel 23 by an inwardly extending head 25.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the lower portion of the outer flange 22 containsa relatively large number of perimetrally spaced slots, thereby forminga plurality of spaced tabs 27. As shown in FIGURE 2, the slots extendupwardly from the lower edge to a location adjacent to the channel,thereby cutting through the bead 25. An upper portion 28 of the outerflange 22, as viewed in FIGURE 2, is perimetrally continuous.

Adjacent the upper portion 28 is a radially extending flange 30 whichextends around the uppermost perimeter of the closure 11, the upper side31 of said flange being relatively flat. A perimetral groove 32 isformed in the outer surface of the outer flange 22 immediately adjacentthe flange 30. At the opposite end of the outer flange 22 is anotherradially extending flange 33 which also extends perimetrally around theouter flange 22. Adjacent the flange 33 is another groove 34 in theouter surface of the outer flange 22.

Retaining means, taking the form of a continuous wire ring 35 (seeFIGURES 1-4) having a diameter slightly less than the outside diameterof the outer flange 22 is provided. The ring 35 is adapted to bereceived in the groove 32 when the closure is removed or being appliedto the container and is adapted to slide down the outer flange 22 andinto the groove 34 when the closure is in closed position on thecontainer. Good practice suggests that the portion of the tabs 27 lyingadjacent the flange 33 be slightly thicker so that the tabs are pressedslightly radially inwardly when the ring 35 is positioned in the groove34. To provide a finger hold for removing the closure, the tabs areprovided with rounded portions 36 at the lower ends in order to permitthe fingers to grasp the free end of the outer flange.

To ensure that a fluid-tight seal is obtained when the closure isapplied to the container body, there is included a substantially annularsealing gasket 37. Gasket 37 may take the form of a separate resilientring capable of being located in the apex 24 of the U-shaped channel or,on occasions, it may be a flowed-in type gasket of material soft enoughto be deformed to spread around mating surfaces of the bead 13 and theapex 24 of the channel.

In applying the closure to the container body the inner and outerflanges 15 and 22 are pressed against respective inner and outer sidesof the bead 1.3. Since the thickness of the bead is relatively greaterthan the breadth of the channel 23, this results in a temporaryspreading of the flanges apart from each other as shown in FIGURE 4.Since the outer flange 22 is separated into the tabs 27, the tabsreadily flex outwardly as necessary to have the flange 22 and especiallythe raised portion 25 pass over the bead 13. Once the bead is receivedin the top end 24 of the pocket, the flanges snap back to substantiallythe positions shown in FIGURE 2 due to the inherent resiliency of thematerial. The same movement causes the gasket 37 to be compressed intosealing relationship with the bead and the bottom wall of the pocket.While this application of the closure is taking place, the ring 35 islocated in the groove 32, as shown in FIGURE 4, thereby permitting freeand unrestricted flexing of the tabs 27. Once the tabs have returned toapproximately the positions of FIGURE 2, the ring 35 is pushed out ofthe groove 32 downwardly along the outside surface of the tabs until itis lodged in the groove '34, while at the same time being stoppedagainst further movement by the stop 33. For ease in mechanicallypushing the ring to the sealing position of FIGURE 2, there may beprovided a series of spaced cutouts 38- in the flange 30 through whichfingers of an appropriate machine (not shown) may extend. Once in theposition of FIGURE 2, the ring 35 serves to prevent outward flexure ofthe tabs 27, thereby serving to maintain the sealed relationship of theclosure 11 on the container body 10.

When the closure is to be removed, the ring 35 is dislodged from thegroove 34, by hand or otherwise, and is slid upwardly along the outersurface of the outer flange 22 until it is lodged against the flange 30and in the groove 32. Certain of the tabs 27 may be flexed outwardly farenough to disengage the bead 25 from engagement with the bead 13. It issuflicient if no more than two or three of the tabs 27 are in thismanner pulled free. Meanwhile, inasmuch as the ring 35 has been shiftedto a position against the stop 30, no interference is offered in thefree flexing of the tabs outwardly. Once the tabs have been freed fromthe head, the closure 11 can *be lifted free of the container body 10.

Inasmuch as there has been no more than a mere flexing of some of thetabs 27 for removal of the closure, the closure can be reapplied withequal effectiveness in the same manner as it was applied initially bypressing the outer and inner flanges against the bead 13 in the mannerillustrated in FIGURE 4 until the bead 25 of each of the tabs has passedover the bead, whereupon the tabs again assume the position of FIGURE 2,whereupon the ring 35 can again be shifted out of the groove 32 and intothe groove 34 to make an effective reseal of the closure on thecontainer. Because of the inherent flexibility and resilience of theplastic from which the closure is formed, the closure can be removed andreapplied as many times as may be necessary.

In a second embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 5, analternative version of the retaining means is shown. A band 40 of stiffflat material which can be applied over the tabs 27 after the closurehas been applied to the container body to thereby hold the tabs inclosed position is provided. Ends 41 and 42 of the band 40 may beinterlocked by having the end 42 extend through a slot 43 in the end 41and thereafter bent over to hold the band in place. Since the band ispresent for the purpose only of holding the tabs 27 in the closedposition, no special tightening means need to be provided. It is onlynecessary to fasten the ends of the band together in order to hold theband flat around the outer flange 22, from which it can be readilyremoved when the closure is to be lifted clear of the container body.

In addition to the embodiment shown in FIGURES l-4 (in which the sidewall 12 of container body terminates in a bead 13), the subjectinvention further comprehends an arrangement in which the upper end ofthe container body side wall structure is substantially straight, withone or more perimetral grooves being formed in the outer surfacethereof, with which grooves one or more beads (such as bead 25)lockingly comate as the closure is applied to the container body.

In sum, the subject invention provides a safe, reliable plastic closurewhich can conveniently, yet securely, be applied and reapplied to theopen end of a container body.

I claim:

1. A plastic closure adapted for removable placement over the open endof an open end container body having a side wall structure, the saidclosure comprising:

a center section; and

an integrally formed peripheral inverted U-shaped channel defined by aninner flange, an outer flange, and an integral top sectioninterconnecting the inner and outer flanges,

the inner flange being formed integrally with the center section, thelower portion of the outer flange taking the form of a plurality offlexible tabs with the upper portion of the outer flange beingperipherally continuous,

interlocking means being formed on the interior of the tabs, with thetabs being normally positioned in locking engagement with the side wallstructure of the container body, and with the tabs being flexibleoutwardly from their respective normal positions so as to disengage theinterlocking means from the side wall structure of the container body;and

retaining means for maintaining the tabs in their respective normalpositions,

whereby the closure may be maintained in engagement with the containerbody.

2. A closure, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inter- 6. A closure, asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining means comprises a band adaptedfor placement over the tabs, the ends of said band being removablyjoined to one another.

7. A plastic closure adapted for removable placement over the open endof an open end container body having a side wall structure, the saidclosure comprising:

a center section;

an integrally formed peripheral inverted U-shaped channel defined by aninner flange, an outer flange, and an integral top sectioninterconnecting the inner and outer flanges,

the inner flange being formed integrally with the center section,

the lower portion of the outer flange taking the form of a plurality offlexible tabs,

interlocking means being formed on the interior of the tabs, with thetabs being normally positioned in locking engagement with the side wallstructure of the container body, and with the tabs being flexibleoutwardly from their respective normal positions so as to disengage theinterlocking means from the side wall structure of the container body;and

retaining means comprising a continuous perimetral member extendingaround the exterior of the outer flange and movable between a firstposition, in which it maintains the tabs in their normal positions, anda second position, wherein the tabs are free to flex out of theirrespective normal positions so as to disengage the side wall structureof the container body,

whereby the closure may be maintained in engagement with the containerbody.

8. A closure, as claimed in claim 7, and further comprising first andsecond means provided in association with the outer flange for limitingthe movement of the perimetral member beyond its first and secondpositions.

9. A closure, as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising sealingmeans provided at the apex of the inverted U-shaped channel.

10. A closure, as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a pluralityof perimetrally spaced gusset members extending between the inner flangeand the center section.

11. A closure, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free end of each tabis undercut to facilitate disengagement of the tab from the side wallstructure of the container body.

12. A closure, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the center section isintegrally joined with the inner flange at a point intermediate theupper and lower ends of the inner flange.

13. A plastic closure adapted for removable placement over the open endof an open end container body having a side wall structure, the saidclosure comprising:

a peripherally continuous relatively flat inner flange adapted to engagean inside surface of the side wall structure of the container body;

a transverse closure wall positioned intermediate th upper and lowerends of the inner flange;

a relatively flat outer flange spaced substantially uniformly from theinner flange and forming an inverted U-shaped channel therebetween, theapex of the U-shaped channel having a shape complementary to the upperend of the side wall structure of the container body;

interlocking means on the interior of one of the flanges and adapted tolockingly mate with the Side wall structure of the container body;

a plurality of perimetrally spaced slot-s provided in the lower portionof the outer flange and thereby defining a plurality of tabs, the upperportion of the outer flange being peripherally continuous; and

a continuous perimetral retaining member extending around the outerflange,

whereby the closure may be maintained in engagement with the containerbody.

14. A closure, as claimed in claim 13, wherein the continuous perimetralretaining member is movable axially between a first position, whereinthe tabs are positioned such that the interlocking means engages theside wall structure of the container body, and a second position,wherein the tab means are free to flex away from the container bodywhereby to disengage the closure therefrom.

15. A closure, as claimed in claim 14, and further comprising:

a first outwardly extending flange integrally formed with the outerflange adjacent the first position of the perimetral retaining member;and

a second outwardly extending member on the exterior of the outer flangeadjacent the second position of the continuous perimetral member, I

whereby the retaining member may not be moved beyond its first andsecond positions.

16. A closure, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the closure is annular.

17. A resealable container assembly comprising:

a container body; and

a plastic closure therefor,

the container body having a side wall structure with a peripheral edgesurrounding an open end; and

the closure comprising:

a transverse closure wall;

a peripherally continuous relatively flat inner flange formed integrallywith the closure wall and adapted to engage an inside surface of theside wall structure of the container body;

a relatively flat outer flange spaced substantially uniformly from saidinner flange and forming an inverted U-shaped channel therebetween, theapex of the channel having a shape complementary relative to theperiphery of the side wall structure;

interlocking means on the interior of one of the flanges forming thechannel and adapted to lockingly engage the side wall structure of thecontainer body;

said outer flange having a plurality of perimetrally spaced slot meansextending downwardly from a free edge thereof whereby to 'form aplurality of tabs; and

a continuous perimetral retaining member for maintaining the tabs inengagement with the side wall structure of the container body,

the continuous perimetral retaining member being movable axially betweena first position, wherein the tabs are positioned such that theinterlocking means engages the side wall structure of the containerbody, and a second position, wherein the tabs are free to flex away fromthe container body whereby to disengage the closure therefrom,

whereby the closure may be maintained in engagement with the containerbody.

18. A container assembly, as claimed in claim 17, and

further comprising:

a first outwardly extending flange integrally formed with the outerflange adjacent the first position of the perimetral retaining member;and

a second outwardly extending member on the exterior of the outer flangeadjacent the second position of the continuous perimetral member,

whereby the retaining member may not be moved beyond its first andsecond positions.

19. A container assembly, as claimed in claim 17, wherein theinterlocking means comprises a bead extending radially into the U-shapedchannel from the inner surface of the outer flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1968 Davis 22060 1/1969 Rocher220-- GEORGE T. HALL, Primary Examiner

